Freddy Bienstock
Encyclopedia
Freddy Bienstock was an American music publisher who built his career in music by being the person responsible for soliciting and selecting songs for Elvis Presley
's early albums and films.
on April 24, 1923, and relocated to Vienna
with his family when he was three-years old. After the Anschluss
, He immigrated to the United States
in 1938, just before the outbreak of World War II
, with his brother Johnny Bienstock, who later founded Big Top Records
. The family ended up settling in New York
after his parents came to the U.S. in 1940.
, who worked as an executive with Chappell Music at New York City
's Brill Building
, Bienstock found employment in the stock room there. He worked his way up to song plugger, offering sheet music
for new songs to their prospective performers. He was hired in the 1950s by Hill & Range
, a music publishing firm owned by his cousins Jean and Julian Aberbach
that had long specialized in country music
. There, Bienstock was given the task of finding songs for the company's most promising performer, Elvis Presley
, supplying him with such songs by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
as "Don't
" and "Jailhouse Rock
", two of the King's earliest hit songs.
Originally not a fan of rock and roll
, Bienstock developed an ear for the music that Presley would want. At his Brill Building "factory", he would get prospective songs from the songwriting teams of Burt Bacharach
and Hal David
, Doc Pomus
and Mort Shuman
, Sid Tepper
and Roy C. Bennett
, as well as from Lieber and Stoller, and take them to Memphis, Tennessee
, where Presley would make his choices. Lieber recalled how "Mike and I would stay up all night and write" a song after Bienstock requested a tune for Presley that he said was needed by the next morning, and that needed to be delivered the next day regardless of quality. Bienstock would claim that "for the first 12 years of his career, Elvis wouldn’t look at a song unless I’d seen it already."
In the 1960s, Bienstock was charged with finding material for Presley's musical films, requiring about ten original songs for each movie, with as many as four films produced annually. With so many songwriters anxious to get their songs published and performed by Presley, Bienstock was successful in demanding that a substantial portion of royalties that the writer would normally receive would be given to Presley and Hill & Range, a practice that has been called "the Elvis Tax". But as Presley's popularity, as well as his record sales, plummeted as the decade wore on, this practice became less and less frequent. Accomplished songwriters were not willing to turn over publishing rights and the prospect of Elvis recording one of their songs became unappealing.
Bienstock purchased Belinda Music, Hill & Range's subsidiary in the UK, in 1966 and changed its name to Carlin Music to honor his daughter. This company became the basis for many further music publishing acquisitions, building the firm's catalog to 100,000 songs. He acquired Chappell Music from PolyGram
in 1984 — marking his elevation from storeroom clerk to become the firm's primary shareholder and president three decades later — in a deal valued at $100 million, with Bienstock owning 15% of the company. At the time of the acquisition, Chappell was the world's largest music publisher, holding copyrights on 400,000 song titles and netting $30 million annually on gross revenues of $80 million. He sold the company to Time Warner
in 1988. Hudson Bay Music Company, a music publishing firm that he established together with Lieber and Stoller, remained in business until 1980.
Carlin America was formed in 1994, and controlled the rights to such music as the 1956 R&B song "Fever
" that became a traditional pop music
standard when modified by Peggy Lee
, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
" by the Australian rock group AC/DC
and Meat Loaf
's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light
". By the time of his death, Carlin America's catalog included Broadway theatre, classical, country music, pop classic standards.
Bienstock was the CEO and President
of Carlin Music and Carlin America
, and was on the board of directors of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
. He was survived by his wife, Miriam Bienstock, who had become a partner in Atlantic Records
after acquiring an ownership stake from her first husband Herb Abramson
. He was also survived by his daughter Caroline, the namesake of Carlin Music and Carlin America and his successor on the board of the National Music Publishers Association
and who served as COO of Carlin America at the time of Bienstock's death. A son also had been an executive in the family business and there were five grandchildren surviving him.
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's early albums and films.
Early life
Bienstock was born to a Jewish family in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
on April 24, 1923, and relocated to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
with his family when he was three-years old. After the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
, He immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1938, just before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with his brother Johnny Bienstock, who later founded Big Top Records
Big Top Records
Bigtop Records was an American record label started by music executive Johnny Bienstock and the music publisher Hill & Range Music. Hit artists included Del Shannon, Johnny and the Hurricanes, Lou Johnson, Sammy Turner, Don and Juan, and Toni Fisher, Big Top also distributed Paul Case's Dunes...
. The family ended up settling in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
after his parents came to the U.S. in 1940.
Music career
After visiting a cousin, Jean AberbachJean Aberbach
Joachim "Jean" Aberbach was an Austrian-born American music publisher. With his brother Julian, he was responsible for establishing Hill and Range as one of the leading music publishing houses, responsible for songs recorded by Elvis Presley and many others.-Life and career:Aberbach was born in...
, who worked as an executive with Chappell Music at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Brill Building
Brill Building
The Brill Building is an office building located at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood...
, Bienstock found employment in the stock room there. He worked his way up to song plugger, offering sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
for new songs to their prospective performers. He was hired in the 1950s by Hill & Range
Hill & Range
Hill & Range is a music publishing company which was particularly responsible for much of the country music produced in the 1950s and 1960s, and had control over the material recorded by Elvis Presley over that period....
, a music publishing firm owned by his cousins Jean and Julian Aberbach
Julian Aberbach
Julian J. Aberbach was an Austrian-born music publisher, who lived and worked in both the United States and France...
that had long specialized in country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
. There, Bienstock was given the task of finding songs for the company's most promising performer, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, supplying him with such songs by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Jerome "Jerry" Leiber and Mike Stoller were American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Stand By Me" Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)...
as "Don't
Don't (Elvis Presley song)
"Don't" is a song performed by Elvis Presley, which was released in 1958. It was Presley's eleventh number-one hit in the United States. "Don't" also peaked at number four on the R&B charts ....
" and "Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock (song)
"Jailhouse Rock" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. The song was released as a 45rpm single on September 24, 1957, to coincide with the release of Presley's motion picture, Jailhouse Rock...
", two of the King's earliest hit songs.
Originally not a fan of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, Bienstock developed an ear for the music that Presley would want. At his Brill Building "factory", he would get prospective songs from the songwriting teams of Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and Hal David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
, Doc Pomus
Doc Pomus
Jerome Solon Felder, better known as Doc Pomus , was a twentieth-century American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lyricist of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the category of non-performer in 1992. He was also inducted into...
and Mort Shuman
Mort Shuman
Mort Shuman was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas"...
, Sid Tepper
Sid Tepper
Sid Tepper is an American songwriter, best known for his collaborations with Roy C. Bennett, which spawned several hits for Elvis Presley. Between 1945 and 1970, Tepper and Bennett published over 300 songs.-Biography:...
and Roy C. Bennett
Roy C. Bennett
Roy C. Bennett is an American songwriter known for the songs he wrote with Sid Tepper, which spawned several hits for Elvis Presley...
, as well as from Lieber and Stoller, and take them to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, where Presley would make his choices. Lieber recalled how "Mike and I would stay up all night and write" a song after Bienstock requested a tune for Presley that he said was needed by the next morning, and that needed to be delivered the next day regardless of quality. Bienstock would claim that "for the first 12 years of his career, Elvis wouldn’t look at a song unless I’d seen it already."
In the 1960s, Bienstock was charged with finding material for Presley's musical films, requiring about ten original songs for each movie, with as many as four films produced annually. With so many songwriters anxious to get their songs published and performed by Presley, Bienstock was successful in demanding that a substantial portion of royalties that the writer would normally receive would be given to Presley and Hill & Range, a practice that has been called "the Elvis Tax". But as Presley's popularity, as well as his record sales, plummeted as the decade wore on, this practice became less and less frequent. Accomplished songwriters were not willing to turn over publishing rights and the prospect of Elvis recording one of their songs became unappealing.
Bienstock purchased Belinda Music, Hill & Range's subsidiary in the UK, in 1966 and changed its name to Carlin Music to honor his daughter. This company became the basis for many further music publishing acquisitions, building the firm's catalog to 100,000 songs. He acquired Chappell Music from PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
in 1984 — marking his elevation from storeroom clerk to become the firm's primary shareholder and president three decades later — in a deal valued at $100 million, with Bienstock owning 15% of the company. At the time of the acquisition, Chappell was the world's largest music publisher, holding copyrights on 400,000 song titles and netting $30 million annually on gross revenues of $80 million. He sold the company to Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
in 1988. Hudson Bay Music Company, a music publishing firm that he established together with Lieber and Stoller, remained in business until 1980.
Carlin America was formed in 1994, and controlled the rights to such music as the 1956 R&B song "Fever
Fever (1956 song)
"Fever" is a song written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, who used the pseudonym John Davenport. It was originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1956. It has been covered by numerous artists from various musical genres, notably Peggy Lee in 1958....
" that became a traditional pop music
Traditional pop music
Traditional pop or classic pop or standards music denotes, in general, Western popular music that either wholly predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s, or to any popular music which exists concurrently to rock and roll but originated in a time before the appearance of rock and roll,...
standard when modified by Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (song)
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the title track and first track of their album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, released in September 1976, and was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott....
" by the Australian rock group AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
and Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Paradise by the Dashboard Light
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is a song written by Jim Steinman. It was first released in 1977 on the album Bat Out of Hell, with vocals by the American musician Meat Loaf alongside Ellen Foley...
". By the time of his death, Carlin America's catalog included Broadway theatre, classical, country music, pop classic standards.
Bienstock was the CEO and President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Carlin Music and Carlin America
Carlin America
Carlin America is an independent music publishing conglomerate with a catalog of over 100,000 titles. The company, created under its current name in 1995 by its founder Freddy Bienstock is headquartered on East 38th Street in Manhattan.Its songs include...
, and was on the board of directors of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
Death
Bienstock died at age 86 on September 20, 2009, at his home in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. He was survived by his wife, Miriam Bienstock, who had become a partner in Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
after acquiring an ownership stake from her first husband Herb Abramson
Herb Abramson
Herbert C. Abramson was an American record company executive and producer.He was born in 1916 in Brooklyn, New York City and initially studied to be a dentist but he landed a job with National Records producing such performers as The Ravens, Billy Eckstine and Joe Turner...
. He was also survived by his daughter Caroline, the namesake of Carlin Music and Carlin America and his successor on the board of the National Music Publishers Association
National Music Publishers Association
The National Music Publishers Association is the trade association representing American music publishers and their songwriting partners. The NMPA’s mandate is to protect and advance the interests of music publishers and songwriters in matters relating to the domestic and global protection of...
and who served as COO of Carlin America at the time of Bienstock's death. A son also had been an executive in the family business and there were five grandchildren surviving him.
Sources
- Emerson, Ken. Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era.
External links
- Interview with Freddy Bienstock Elvis Australia
- Profile at Carlin America
- ASCAP site